This invention relates generally to the protection of electrical equipment and, more particularly, to a combination isolator and line surge suppressor for electronic devices.
A well-known cause of damage to electrical equipment is the high voltage line surge. Such line surges often produce voltages above the rated capacity of electronic components and can either produce catastrophic failure thereof or a gradual weakening that ultimately leads to failure. In addition to component failure, line surges can introduce electrical interference that degrades the performance of many devices including scientific instruments, test apparatus, chemical process controllers and data handlers, audio equipment, video recorders and television equipment. Particularly affected by interference are computers and computer peripheral equipment in which electrical noise can introduce inadvertent bits that ruin programs. Although devices are available for adequately suppressing line surges, such devices fail to eliminate effectively the above-described performance degrading interference in electrical equipment. Although conventional suppressors function to eliminate voltage spikes above a given maximum level they fail to eliminate voltage transients in the range between peak line voltage and that given maximum level. Such voltage transients can produce the performance degrading interference described above. Thus, presently available surge suppressors do not satisfactorily eliminate the problem.
The object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a device that will both protect and prevent faulty operation of various types of electronic equipment.